Patriarch Theodore to Catholics: We must become servants of Church unity

Patriarch Theodore and Cardinal Kurt Koch. Photo: the Church of Alexandria website

On 1 June 2023, the opening ceremony of a joint commission for theological dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, entitled Dialogue of Love, was held in Alexandria, reports the website of the Church of Alexandria.

In his address on the opening of the commission, Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria said that "theological dialogue must be cultivated, developed and be fruitful at all levels with sincerity, honesty and mutual respect".

The Patriarch recalled the steps had already taken in dialogue with the RCC, which "remind us of our duty and responsibility to continue to advance the work of unity," and stated that "we must become servants of the unity of the Church with the love of the Truth of Christ, without discounting the faithful as well".

The Alexandrian Patriarch also declared the role in the dialogue of the Patriarch of Constantinople as "first among equals", who "very rightly argued that the question of unity is a great and sacred one, that it is not a matter of persons but Orthodoxy itself, and that it must be studied with reverence and due respect in cooperation with all the Local Churches, avoiding any hasty energy".

As earlier reported, a "dialogue of love" between Orthodoxy and the RCC is taking place in Alexandria.

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